Sundance 2014: Inside the Kickoff

By

Addie Morfoot

Jan 17, 2014 3:16 pm ET

The 30th Sundance Film Festival kicked off on a jazzy note.

The opening night film—Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash” – follows a first-year college student (Miles Teller) determined to become a drummer of a top jazz orchestra despite his abusive instructor, played by J.K. Simmons. The high-octave film was followed by the annual “An Artist at the Table” benefit event at the Stein Erikson Lodge in Deer Valley.

The exclusive dinner resembled an intimate wedding reception with an eclectic guest list that included 30 or so struggling Sundance artists (filmmakers, actors and producers) and a few hundred of the country’s wealthiest individuals who serve as Sundance donors and board members.

Each table was assigned an artist like Mark Ruffalo, Aaron Paul, Lucy Walker and Rory Kennedy.

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